Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 203

New Wind (3)

The maids’ hands swept over the young boy’s body.

From a thorough washing to a change of clothes.

There was no personal warmth, and their touch, filled only with polite efficiency, made feeling ashamed seem almost wrong.

“Sehzade [Prince] Omer, all preparations are complete.”

Dressed in splendid clothes made of silk imported from Ming China, Omer tried hard to calm his nervous heart as he walked.

Those with the title of Sehzade, symbolizing the heir to the throne, were traditionally educated in the capital.

This was why Kasim’s son, Omer, had been summoned to the capital; the moment to meet his grandfather, the Padishah [Ottoman Emperor] Yusuf, was fast approaching.

‘Even if I can’t make a good impression, I mustn’t make a bad one.’

Just because he was his grandfather didn’t mean he could treat him casually.

The weight of the name Yusuf was so heavy that it was evident just by looking at the names of children born in the Ottoman Empire.

Yusuf, meaning Joseph, was once a common name, but now few people dared to use it carelessly.

It goes without saying that even people who originally had that name changed it.

The expression ‘sacrosanct’ was the most appropriate, and no matter how much he was his grandfather, he couldn’t meet him with a light heart.

What was somewhat comforting was that he wasn’t meeting him alone.

As he approached the front of the carriage, two other boys were already waiting.

A dark-skinned boy, younger than himself but larger in size, stood with a sullen face, while a blond boy, barely reaching his chest, chattered incessantly.

“Sehzade Ali, they say Ali is family, but why is your skin so dark?”

“Because I was born this way. Okay? More than that, you’re being noisy, Sehzade Batur.”

“But I’m curious. Why were you born that way? Could my child be born dark too?”

Ali’s eyebrows twitched at Batur’s relentless questions.

“Maybe. If you have a child with someone who has dark skin.”

“Then if Sehzade Ali and I have a child, will a black child be born?”

“Would it? What do you mean, the two of us making a child?”

“Then how do you make a child? My parents didn’t explain it properly.”

Ali sighed at the eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“I don’t know either. Ask the Padishah.”

“Should I? My father said that my grandfather knows everything. He will definitely give me an answer, right?”

…Please don’t.

Omer’s vision swam for a moment.

***

The audience chamber always carried a subtle coffee scent.

It was a place where a lot of work was done, and Yusuf, who received Shemsi’s visit early in the morning, chuckled.

“An envoy sent by Carlos is coming?”

“That’s right. They belatedly informed us of the envoy’s visit. Shall we refuse them?”

There was no need to welcome an envoy who arrived without proper notice.

Unlike France, which enjoyed good relations, they couldn’t even pretend to have a good relationship with Spain, and they could simply ignore the visit of a country that offered no prospect of improved relations in the future.

“It’s okay. What’s so difficult about meeting them for a moment? Besides, the children will be arriving soon; you should see them too.”

“I’m busy, but I understand.”

Yusuf smiled.

He was quite interested in the upcoming visit.

It wasn’t solely due to the feelings of a grandfather seeing his blood relatives.

‘If I hadn’t decided to abdicate, one of my grandsons would have become the next Padishah.’

The longevity trait doesn’t guarantee how long you can live.

However, he would live at least until the princes were old and the grandsons were actively involved in governance.

It was a future that disappeared with the decision to abdicate, but meeting the grandsons who could have become the next Padishah was still quite intriguing.

As he was leisurely awaiting the visit, the loud voice of a servant echoed.

-Your Majesty Padishah, Sehzade Omer, Sehzade Ali, and Sehzade Batur request an audience!

“Let them in.”

With permission granted, three boys entered through the audience chamber door that swung open.

“We greet the great Padishah!”

Following the greeting of Omer, the oldest, the two younger boys also paid their respects.

Looking at Omer, who was clearly nervous, Yusuf recalled his first meeting with the previous Padishah, Bayezid II.

That intense memory, from a meeting at the end of a life-threatening gamble, had not faded even after decades.

“Welcome. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for the hospitality, Your Majesty Padishah.”

Omer felt sweat gathering in his palms at the heavy atmosphere hidden beneath the kind voice.

“You may raise your heads.”

As Yusuf’s permission was given, the three children raised their heads and stared, almost mesmerized, at the green eyes looking back at them.

Ottoman subjects had seen portraits of him at least once, but no matter how vivid the picture, it was nothing compared to seeing him in person.

Yusuf pointed to Shemsi, who was sitting quietly nearby.

“The one here is Shemsi Pasha, the Grand Vizier [chief minister] of the Empire. Even if you live in the capital, you won’t have many chances to meet him. He is the busiest person in the empire.”

“I am Shemsi Pasha. I will be retiring soon, so it will be difficult to meet me.”

“Nonsense.”

Yusuf, cutting off Shemsi’s hopeless remark, smiled brightly.

“More than that, Grand Vizier, it’s interesting. Kasim’s child is the oldest, and Mehmet’s child is the youngest.”

“Prince Kasim is the normal one.”

“I know. I don’t know when that Mustafa will have a child.”

Anyone would think he was marrying a ship, given how long he was at sea.

Yusuf, clicking his tongue, said to the children, who seemed to have relaxed while he and Shemsi exchanged jokes.

“Life in the capital will not be easy. Learning will be equally demanding. However, you must not forget: everything you enjoy is obtained thanks to the efforts of the people, and you must repay them.”

A deep silence fell at the firm words, and Yusuf leaned back in his chair and asked.

“Yes, do you have any questions?”

He told them to ask questions, but he didn’t expect them to do so easily.

It was a heavy atmosphere for children to endure.

However, this expectation was shattered by a small hand raised above his head.

“Batur, what are you curious about?”

“Is the Padishah really my grandfather?”

Depending on how you interpret it, even the words of a six-year-old child could be considered rude.

“What do you mean?”

“You look younger than my father. My father always frowns whenever he looks through papers.”

“That’s because your father is too smart. He sees the shortcomings before the good points. Do you have any other questions?”

At Yusuf’s words, Batur let out a short exclamation as if he had forgotten something, and Omer prayed earnestly in his heart.

Please don’t ask any more strange questions.

However, this prayer did not reach Batur, who was standing right next to him.

“How are children born?”

In the end, when this question came out, Omer squeezed his eyes shut.

Life in the capital was not going to be easy after all.

***

The three children, including Batur, who became a legend with his single question to Yusuf, gradually adapted to life in the capital.

In Ali’s case, while many were initially taken aback by the black-skinned prince, no one dared to insult Ali, who inherited the blood of the great Padishah Yusuf.

As the children began to settle into the capital, the visitors they had been expecting finally arrived.

“We greet the great Padishah of the Empire.”

The Spanish envoy, who paid his respects politely, rose as Yusuf gestured.

“The growth of the Empire is dazzling. The market is crowded with people, and the voices praising the Padishah never cease in the streets. Every time I visit, I can’t help but admire the progress.”

“That’s because the people are working hard. By the way, you’re an envoy who has come after a long time. I thought you wouldn’t send an envoy again after the ceasefire negotiations.”

From Spain’s point of view, the ceasefire negotiations were humiliating in both process and outcome.

They barely achieved a ceasefire as if begging, and had to fight tooth and nail to save every penny while recognizing various rights.

The rights they conceded in that manner became the reason why Muslim bandits were rampant in the Iberian Peninsula, so they wouldn’t even want to discuss it.

The envoy smoothly brushed off Yusuf’s criticism.

“Isn’t dialogue necessary for a peaceful world? The last war would not have happened if we had engaged in proper conversation.”

“It wasn’t a matter of dialogue. If you hadn’t struggled to cover up Portugal’s mistakes, there would have been no war.”

As a result, they suffered great losses due to the defeat, but they couldn’t hand Portugal over to the Ottomans.

If they had, they would have been in even greater danger than they were now.

The Spanish envoy didn’t dwell on that and changed the subject.

“Why dwell on the past? It would be beneficial if we could engage in dialogue for a brighter future for both countries.”

“Well, let’s just say that. Enough talk; tell me why you came here.”

At Yusuf’s blunt words, the envoy carefully began.

“The Empire’s power has become so great that even small ripples caused by the Empire surprise many countries. The King is worried that if these misunderstandings continue to accumulate, the same unfortunate events as before may occur.”

“Carlos must have become quite a coward. I doubt he is the same person who attacked Rome to try and remove me.”

Yusuf, sneering, tapped the armrest with his finger.

“Are you saying that you are curious about the movements of the Empire?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s correct.”

“Okay, what are you so curious about?”

Unexpectedly, Yusuf was cooperative, so the envoy, hiding his elation, spoke.

“Is Prince Murat’s target Africa?”

“Does it look like he’s going to lead the army to the Iberian Peninsula or the New World?”

“Some people are worried about that.”

“That’s unnecessary worry. Murat’s interest is in Africa. He has no time to pay attention to other places.”

There were countless places to occupy in Africa, so why would he look elsewhere?

The envoy, expressing his gratitude briefly at Yusuf’s answer, added as if he had almost forgotten.

“Come to think of it, I heard that the Eastern Fleet has moved again. Is there a reason why you sent another large fleet?”

“The East? That’s none of your business.”

“I hope you’ll consider it pure curiosity.”

“The answer isn’t difficult.”

Yusuf took a sip of the slightly cooled coffee and said leisurely.

“There are so many fearless and violent pirates in the East. The Empire, which encompasses the entire world, needs to work for peace.”

The envoy felt confused at the ambiguous words.

He couldn’t directly ask if Yusuf knew about the fleet sent to Manila, and Yusuf said coldly to the anxious envoy.

“You have nothing to worry about. If you don’t take actions that threaten peace, you won’t encounter the Empire’s fleet.”

The envoy felt his heart sink.

This monstrous emperor already knew about the fleet’s movements.

***

Cortez clenched his fists tightly.

The island that the Portuguese, who had occupied Malacca, had told him about, Luzon, was no exaggeration to call it a land of gold.

Manila, where merchants came from nearby Ming China, Southeast Asia, and even distant India and Arabia, was overflowing with expensive goods.

Not only pepper, whose price had plummeted due to the canal, but also spices such as cloves and nutmeg, which were in high demand, were piled up in boxes.

There were also many silks and porcelains that had been passed down from Ming China, and herbs whose value he could not yet fully appreciate.

‘The Lord has provided.’

Cortez felt a surge of joy.

The resistance had been quite fierce, but it was ultimately futile.

In the end, he had occupied Luzon Island, where Manila was located, and secured a route that would bring him enormous wealth, silver, and honor.

“From now on, this place is also Nueva España [New Spain].”

Now that he had expanded the new Spanish territory, all that remained was the future of being appointed viceroy, as promised by the king.

A soldier rushed to Cortez, who was contemplating his rosy future while gazing at the spices.

“Marquis! The Ottoman fleet has appeared!”

“It’s just a merchant ship.”

He had expected Ottoman merchant ships to arrive, and he had plans for the benefits he would offer them.

It was dangerous to be on bad terms with the Ottomans in the East.